A year after Nigerian designer, Ituen Basi, completely changed my view on African fashion, I waited for her second AFW collection to come out on the ramp. When you love a designer there is a moment of sheer terror in this. You really, really, really want them to live up to their potential. And you hope you haven't built them up in your mind only to be disappointed.
Yeeeeeeeha. Not this time. I can't tell you how happy her collection made me last night on Day 1 of Africa Fashion Week 2010.
With an ability to marry tradition with trend, design innovation with construction interest, bold, bright colour with ladylike silhouettes, this is an African designer with the potential to intrigue the world.
It makes this tired old fashion hack want to cry and laugh at the same time.